“Ambivalence Perception” the Consequence of Exposure to Pregnancy in Iranian Adolescent Women: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: Adolescent pregnancy is an important health problem, significantly related to negative effects on the health of both adolescent mothers and their babies. Little is known about adolescent pregnancy from the perspective of the adolescents, especially in developing countries. The present study aimed to explore the perception of response to pregnancy in Iranian adolescent women. METHODS: This conventional content analysis was conducted from November 2015 to October 2016 in Guilan Province (In the north of Iran). Data were collected through unstructured interview with 24 married women aged between 14 and 18 years old. The participants were recruited using a purposive sampling method. Interviews began with a general question and were followed with some probing questions, and were continued till data saturation was reached. RESULTS: “Ambivalence perception” was the main theme that merged in this study. Two other categories comprised the content of interviews: “Improving positive effects of pregnancy” and, “Diminishing negative effects of pregnancy” which were merged from nine sub-categories. CONCLUSION: The experiences of pregnancy were not completely undesired and negative as the teenage mothers expressed a feeling of satisfaction with the birth of their children. This finding will help health educators to develop cultural sensitive programs, activities, and educational interventions that assist adolescent mothers to deal with this ambivalent perception of pregnancy.